Everything About You
by thatfandomfreakk
Summary: Alec is sent to boarding school with his two siblings, Jace and Izzy. There he experiences love, hate, friendship, sadness, mystery - and the entirely new experience of being hit on. MALEC.
1. Chapter 1

I walked down the corridor of his new school and sighed. This was going to be hell. I was expected to sleep in the same room as someone I had just met. I had a hard time being nice to his siblings (I was very blunt and straightforward; I said what I thought, which tended to get me a lot of enemies), let alone some random guy. I just hoped this guy wasn't homophobic or *shudder* talkative …

Room 124, room 123, room 121, room 120. Finally. I took a deep breath and slid my key into the lock, pushing the door open and lugging his bag through, dropping it on my toe about three times before a smooth low voice said "you need any help with that?"

My head whipped around as I jumped, causing the suitcase to fall on my abused little toe yet again. "OW! Shit!" I hopped up and down on one leg, which really didn't help for balance, especially when there was a solid body behind you, ready to fall into. Which is exactly what happened, incidentally.

Probably my new roommate and I fell in a tangled heap backwards right onto a bed. I instinctively grabbed onto the stranger's shoulders and I felt arms wrap around my waist as we fell. Our legs were tangled and our bodies were pressed together … everywhere … so I could tell this person was a guy. Great …

"Wow. If I knew you were going to be this eager, I would've prepared myself."

I opened my eyes, which I had squeezed closed during the fall, and found myself nose-to-nose with a particularly gorgeous face with tanned skin and green eyes – for some reason, they seemed like they were contacts; they were just too … glassy. This man had spiked up hair which was gelled in different shades of blue and – was that – glitter? Oh god. I mentally facepalmed myself. Only I would get into this situation with such an openly gay guy … within my first ten minutes of being inside this school, no less.

"I …" Wow, great response, Alec. The guy chuckled. "It's alright to be awed by my beauty; everyone is. Although it's a particular pleasure to be checked out by _those _gorgeous blue eyes." Before I'd even had time to process this compliment, he had leaned right up close to my ear, and whispered, his lips brushing my earlobe, "black hair and blue eyes is my favourite combination." He leaned back and grinned at me. I realised I was blushing. Damn my pale skin.

"Um, I … thanks?" I stuttered, not entirely sure how to respond. This guy was obviously flirting with me. I bit my lip anxiously, and noticed how the stranger's pupils dilated slightly. Hmm … I looked up at him through my eyelashes, experimenting, and heard the small intake of breath as I did. I pretended to look confused – I was an actor after all; had been doing Drama all my life. "What's wrong?" I asked. He was about to respond when somebody rudely barged into the room.

"Magnus, has he – oh, come on, _already_?"

I jumped off "Magnus", ignoring the cold feeling that came with being outside of the circle of his arms. "I – I mean, we, I tripped, and, um, we fell – I mean, it was an accident, I didn't – we weren't-"

"Alright, no need to get your knickers in a twist." The guy in the door said. He paused, and I looked up to see what had made him stop. Then I realised the way he was looking at me was – _really?_ Two guys checking me out already? God.

"Looks like you've lucked in on this one, Mag." Magnus's friend said stepping forward. "My name's Ragnor Fell. But you can call me babe. Or hottie. I'm not picky."

I opened my mouth, startled. Was everyone here so forward? "I'd really rather just call you Ragnor, if I have to call you at all." Wait. Was that rude? I'm always so blunt, I never can tell. But judging by Magnus's gleeful "Rejected!" and _Ragnor_'s affronted look, it was. I hurried to amend it. "Sorry – that came out wrong. I meant, like, if I see you again, I'll call you that. It's not that I-"

"Don't worry, cutie, you can make it up to me in other ways." Said Ragnor coming right up close and tapping me on the nose, grinning. I took a hasty step back. Suddenly Magnus was next to me, draping an arm over my shoulders.

"Alright, Rag, enough creeping him out." Ragnor threw his hands up in defeat and stalked out of the room. He turned at the door and said "this isn't over, Bane." I still don't know if he was being serious or not.

Magnus wiped his brow dramatically. "Phew," he said, "glad he's gone. He can be so annoying sometimes, trying to steal you away like that." He grinned. "And I can't have that, can I?" He leaned in close again, so that our noses were touching. His breath washed over my face and my eyes fluttered closed. I noted that his arm had slid down to my waist. Then the warm breath and the arm were gone.

"You'd better unpack," I opened my eyes to see Magnus lying on his bed, his arms behind his head, "dinner's in fifteen minutes."

I shook my head a little. _Snap out of it, Alec. _I retrieved my suitcase from where it was still standing in the doorway and brought it over to the bed on the opposite side of the room to Magnus's. I was in the middle of unpacking my t-shirts when Magnus said suddenly, "you never told me your name."

I turned. "Alexan – Alec Lightwood." I said. Magnus raised his eyebrows. "Alexan-Alec is a funny first name." Laughter danced in his eyes. Again, they didn't look genuine. The emotion did, but not the eyes …

"My full name's Alexander, but no one really calls me that." I paused, trying to build up the courage to say what I wanted to. "By the way, are those – are your eyes real, or are they contacts?"

Magnus froze, and I immediately felt bad. "How … how could you tell?" He asked. I thought I could see fear in his eyes. I backpedalled quickly.

"It's not obvious. I mean, I only noticed it because we – you know …" I trailed off, remembering the very awkward but oddly enjoyable moment earlier. Magnus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He sat up. "You can't tell anyone they're not real, alright?" I opened my mouth to ask why, but Magnus cut me off. "You just – can't. Alright?"

I nodded slowly.

* * *

I walked into the cafeteria next to Magnus, searching for Jace and Izzy. I finally spotted them sitting at a table with four others: a beautiful blonde haired girl, a girl with brown hair and a slightly blue tinge to her skin, another brown-haired girl with kind grey eyes, and … Ragnor. Shit. Trust me to have the bad luck of my siblings becoming friends with Magnus's friends. I sighed and followed Magnus to the table. What I didn't see was Ragnor shove the blonde-haired girl from her seat to make room for me.

I reached the table and looked, confused, staring at the seat Ragnor held out for me. "Wasn't … wasn't somebody sitting here a minute ago?"

Jace snorted across the table. I was utterly confused. "It's alright, I'll just sit here." Magnus brushed past me and sat in the recently vacated chair. Ragnor glared at Magnus whilst, unnoticed, the blond-haired girl got up off the floor, muttering angrily, and placed herself daintily as far away from Ragnor as she could get. Magnus grinned up at me. "Do you want to get a chair, or just sit on my lap?" He patted his lap suggestively.

_Yes, please…_ "Um, I'll just – I'll just get a chair…" I turned and got the nearest chair and when I turned back around, Ragnor and moved his chair again so that the available space was … in between him and Magnus. Could this lunch get any worse?

Yes. Yes it could.

**Review if you want more! ****J**


	2. Don't be nervous

Yes. Yes it could.

It started with Ragnor. "Alec, could you pass the ketchup, please?" I did. He took this opportunity to do the "accidentally" brushing hands thing like they do in movies. Honestly, it annoyed me to no end. Especially when he winked at me afterwards. I smiled politely at him and turned back to my sandwich. I could've sworn I heard Magnus laugh quietly.

Magnus didn't try things so obvious. One time, he stretched across the table right in front of me to get something. His top came up a little and I swear I had a heart attack. I had to control my breathing by the time Magnus sat back down properly. I eyed him suspiciously (or what I hoped was suspiciously) before going back to eating.

It also didn't help that his leg kept nudging mine under the table.

Two can play at that game, bitch.

I nudged his leg back, nonchalantly sipping my bottle of water. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a slow smile curve on his lips. He nudged my leg a bit harder this time. I nudged back harder than him. We were both smiling like idiots now. He then proceeded to hook his foot around mine. Oh, I remember this game, I thought. I used to play this in primary school; it was simple; all you had to do was try to "capture" the other person's foot, occasionally taking a shoe off in the process. I flicked my foot out of his grip and grabbed one of his with both of mine, and tugged.

"Careful, those are Jimmy Choos!" Magnus yelped, making our whole table turned toward us, confused. Magnus and I took one look at each other, and then burst out laughing.

After our scene, Ragnor tried even harder to flirt with me. He kept making innuendos then winking at me, kept asking me to pass him various things. The worst was when he put his arm around me. At that precise moment, I had decided to take a drink of water. Ragnor's arm jogged me into my drink, making me choke and spit water everywhere. Ragnor immediately started fussing over me, in his haste trying to clean the water off my t-shirt with his bare hands (I mean, seriously?) until Magnus placed a hand on his arm, and calmly passed me a napkin. I thanked him and tried to mop up the water, whilst Ragnor sat back in his chair, scowling. The rest of our table watched on in amusement, until Jace finally intervened.

"Rag-whateveryournameis, has it ever crossed your mind that my brother is _not interested_?"

Ragnor stood. "Alright, Blondie, listen here-"

"Ragnor!" I interrupted. Ragnor turned to look at me, the look on his face similar to that of a puppy looking at its mother. I sighed. "Please sit down." He did. "Jace, don't. I can make my own decisions."

Ragnor smirked. I rolled my eyes. I was really getting bored of this.

* * *

I flopped down on my bed. "Well, that was … interesting." I said. Then Magnus flopped down next to me. Next to me. Next to me. Magnus is lying next to me. Well, shit.

"Yup." He replied, turning his head toward me. I turned mine too, so that we were, for want of a less cheesy phrase, staring into each other's eyes. Those eyes …

Magnus must have known where my train of thought was going, because he abruptly turned his head back. There was a moment's silence.

"Well," said Magnus, "I'm going to go shower." He hopped off of my bed, grabbed a bright yellow towel from the end of his bed, and strode into the bathroom, shutting the door with a click behind him. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding.

I stared around the plain room. Well, plain on my side. On Magnus's there were hundreds of posters tacked to the walls of various actors and singers and models … hm. There were female models there too. Was Magnus bi? Maybe.

I decided, as I had showered this morning, to get my pyjamas on. Might as well – Magnus was preoccupied in the shower … what I hadn't counted on was that Magnus always showered quickly.

I had my pyjama bottoms on and had just pulled off my t-shirt to replace it with a baggier, comfier one I slept in, when Magnus walked out of the bathroom, dripping wet, with only a towel on, slung around his hips. I was so distracted by _that _sight that I hadn't noticed that I, too, was bare chested. But when I did see where Magnus's gaze was … oh shit.

"Uh – I, sorry. I didn't realise …"

"Oh, it's perfectly fine," Magnus interrupted me, stepping closer, "but – if you don't mind me asking – what are they?"

I sighed. Knew he would ask that.

Tattooed onto my chest and body was a pattern of different runes. They each represented a different quality, for example: strength, speed, communication, even Angelic power. I had the first one because of Jace. I could tell, even at a young age, that my parents favoured him, that my other siblings looked up to him, not their older, and biological, brother. I had this thought that if I got them then maybe I could be like Jace, maybe even better. I had got about three over a year – then I found out I was gay.

That set off a sort of splurge of rune tattoos, trying to get myself to be who I was supposed to be, the son my parents always wanted. I wanted to be normal. Better than normal. Needless to say, the runes hadn't worked.

Finally, the night before I had come out to my parents, I had got the Fearless rune. I guess that one had worked, because all I felt was numbness as I let out the words I had been holding in for so long – _mum, dad … I'm gay._

I remember I felt as if I were underwater. My parents' voices were muffled, almost undistinguishable. My dad yelling. My mum crying, telling him to stop. The hit …

"Alec?" I was brought back to the present when Magnus said my name.

"What?" I said stupidly, "oh, these? It's … it's kind of stupid …"

"'Course it's not," Magnus snorted, pulling on a t-shirt. Sad face – shut up, Alec. I noticed he had boxers on too.

"Well … they all represent a different quality. I got them because – because – I … because I was never … good enough." I looked down. If I had a shirt on I would've tugged on the hem of it.

Magnus didn't say anything. Finally, I couldn't stand the silence any longer. I looked up. Magnus was looking at me with an expression I couldn't mistake: _I understand_. He stepped closer and reached out a hand to touch one of the runes. Before his fingertip reached the ink he stopped, his hand hovering over my skin. He looked up at me, asking for permission. I nodded slightly. Magnus closed the remaining distance between his finger and the rune. As his skin met mine, a strange tingling warmth spread from that spot. I shivered. Magnus smiled slightly.

"What does this one mean?" He asked quietly. I looked down to see he was pointing at the rune for angelic power. I snorted. "_That _one's stupid. It's angelic power."

Magnus raised an eyebrow. God, he's sexy when he does that.

"I only really got it to complete the set." Magnus nodded like he understood, then trailed his finger up until it was over my heart, leaving a tingling sensation in his wake. He breathing got faster. I hoped he didn't notice.

"What about this one?"

"Love."

"Right. Should've guessed, being over the heart and all." Magnus smiled.

"Yeah." I really couldn't think of anything other than single syllable words to say at the moment. Magnus was so close to me I thought I would explode.

"Your heart's beating really fast." Magnus whispered. Shit. I laughed shakily. "Really?"

Magnus grinned. "Are you nervous because of me?"

I bit my lip and looked down. I nodded. Then I felt Magnus's hand leave my chest and move down to grab my hand. He brought it up and placed it over his heart – which was drumming an irregular and very fast beat. "You're not the only one."

I stared up at him. He was really nervous because of me? Magnus, who seems to always be in control, was nervous of _me_?

In a moment of irrational courage, I reached both my hands up to wrap them around Magnus's neck. I heard his intake of breath as I pressed my lips to his cheek and then whispered in his ear, "you don't have to be nervous."

I felt Magnus's arms slide around my waist for the second time today, only now the feeling was heightened because of the fact that I didn't have a shirt on.

I don't know how long we stayed in that position. I just remember our hearts slowly slowing until they beat at a regular rhythm. Which took a long, long time.

**Okay, soo… I didn't anticipate this scene. I think it may be moving too fast, but I physically can't keep them away from each other! Goddammit, Malec, calm yourselves. Jeez.**

**Anyway, review telling me if you think they're moving too fast … **

**Btw the next chapter will probably be addressing Alec's acting and stuffs, so don't think I've forgotten that! ****J**

**PEACE OUT, LITTLE MUNCHKINS**

**-Troye Sivan**


	3. That Was You!

I woke up to the sound of drums repeatedly beating on the inside of my skull.

No, I did not have a hangover. In fact, I couldn't even remember the last time I had drunk anything alcoholic. The "drums" I quickly identified as very loud music. Hang on, was that …?

I jumped out of bed, too tired to even be embarrassed when I collided with another body. "This song…" I rubbed sleep out of my eyes frantically. "I love this song!" I looked up, blinking sleepily, at the unmistakable face of Magnus. I suddenly became aware of how close I was to him, and took a step back. I realised he was grinning.

"You are absolutely adorable when you're tired." He said, brushing a lock of hair out of my eyes. I scowled at him, trying to ignore the fact that when his skin brushed mine in made me want to jump him …

"I am not adorable. I'm a very macho guy, Magnus." I answered, a half smile tugging on the corner of my mouth. **(Heh heh … no one got the Troye Sivan reference … okay, I'm way too obsessed)**.

Magnus laughed out loud. "No need to tell me. I've seen you topless, remember?"

Oh, I do.

I blushed and changed the subject. "I didn't know you were a fan of My Chemical Romance!" I said excitedly, referring to the song playing.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, darling," Magnus answered, "we have just met, after all."

Way to make a fool of yourself, Alec.

I shrugged, playing it cool. "Still, you don't really look like the stereotypical fan." I sat down on my bed, next to the pillow, leaning back on my hands, and, before I could protest (not that I'd want to) Magnus had led down with his head on my lap. Ohhhhhh my God. Stay calm.

"Well, "The Kids From Yesterday" is pretty special to me, since I had my first kiss whilst it was playing. I was only fourteen though, but still."

I nodded, but inside my heart was beating fast. This could not be coincidence. Actually, yes it very well could, so shut up, Alec.

"It was my birthday party, and there was this one guy that I had a crush on but I had never really talked to him, because we were complete opposites. I was loud, he was quiet, I was colourful, he was – well, his clothes taste was horrific, to be honest. I remember, I asked to talk to him, so we went outside, and I could still hear the music through the walls and I don't know, I guess, it just sort of happened."

Oh my God. "And, um, this was when you were in a High school called Riverbend High, wasn't it?" I said faintly, praying that I wasn't wrong. Magnus stared at me. "How …?"

I cleared my throat. "Can you remember this guy's name?"

"Of course. It was …" Suddenly his expression changed and he looked at me with complete shock. Then he jumped off me and stood. "The fuck?!" He almost shouted, "This is so … oh my God."

We both started laughing in disbelief. "That was_you_?" Magnus choked out. I just nodded. I remembered the night clearly: how shocked I was when I had gotten an invite from the most popular boy in school, how confused I was when he asked to talk to me, the pull I felt towards him … the pull I still feel.

"That is so weird." I finally managed to say. Suddenly Magnus grinned at me. "Maybe fate wants us to be together!" He said dramatically. I laughed, still a little nervous. "Maybe …"

* * *

I sat down heavily at my first class I had had in this school: Science. The desks all had names on them telling us where to sit (what are we, eight?), and I quickly found my name on a desk that was already set up with two different chemicals, fire tongs and a Bunsen burner **(sorry if that's not what you call them in different countries I'm English don't eat me) **. There was already another person sitting next to my name who I assumed would be my lab partner; she had curly, red hair, bright green eyes and a friendly face.

"Hi! I'm Clary Fray." She said as soon as I sat down. I pointed to her name tag thingy on the desk, "I know."

She looked a little embarrassed. "Oh. Right, yeah. And you're Alexander Lightwood."

"I prefer Alec."

Her face brightened. "So you _are_!"

Okay, this girl was really weird. "I _am _what?" I asked, extremely confused and slightly weirded out.

"Isabelle Lightwood's sister. It's just – I'm rooming with your sister and she mentioned you, so …" She trailed off, and I nodded. "Well, I'm glad that she hasn't got one of those bitchy, popular girls. I have to break up enough fights between her and Jace already."

"Somebody mention me?" I heard a voice behind me, and turned to see Jace there, visibly checking Clary out, whilst Clary patted down her hair nervously. I groaned. "Am I going to have to watch Jace flirt whilst you swoon? Because if it's a yes, I'm just going to-" I pressed my hands over my ears and squeezed my eyes shut in demonstration. "Otherwise I'll puke."

Jace chuckled. "Sorry, mate, didn't know you had your eye on her." Clary looked at me, shocked. I just rolled my eyes and answered back, "you know very well I don't "have my eye on her", Jace."

Jace grinned. "Never know, you might've switched teams in my absence," then he grinned mischievously, "mind you, the way you've been checking out that Magnus guy-"

"JACE!" I put my hand over his mouth to stop him spilling any more of my secrets. Jace just removed it, looked over my shoulder and said, "oh, hey, Magnus!"

I whipped around in my chair to see Magnus standing right in front of my desk, grinning like he'd just won the lottery. "Hey, Magnus." I said weakly. I heard Jace chuckle behind me quietly.

"Hey, Alec. Did I hear my name?" Magnus cocked his head to the side, looking way too innocent to be allowed.

"Um, no, uh, Jace just said – I mean, we were just talking about-"

"Alec was just introducing me to his brother, Jason. Or Joseph. Something like that." Clary intervened, smiling sweetly. I stared at her in disbelief. That girl has some nerve.

"It's _Jace_." Jace recovered enough to say, looking highly affronted. Clary brushed it off. "Yeah, something like that, like I said."

I snorted, and covered my hand with my mouth when Jace glared at me, schooling my features into an innocently sympathetic expression.

"I see you're still a good actor, then." Magnus said, almost making me jump. Wait – he remembered?

"You remember that?" I said, honestly surprised. Magnus rolled his eyes. "Of course I do. We were the main parts in, like, every school play. The teachers_loved _you."

"Wait, what?" Jace interjected, "you're making it sound like you two know … each other … WAIT!" Jace shouted, making us all jump, "I remember you! Alec was obsessed with you."

"Jace! Shut the _fuck _up!" I hissed. Trust Jace just to blurt that out.

"Is that true?" Magnus raised his eyebrow and looked down at me, amused. I opened my mouth to reply but just then the teacher called for silence. I sighed in relief as Magnus smirked one last time and sat down at his desk. I was going to murder Jace later.

* * *

I sat down at our lunch table, this time bringing Clary, and her best friend Simon, with me. As the lesson progressed I had found out that Clary was a friendly person, if not a bit whiny at times (wasn't everyone?). I noticed Ragnor was sat opposite me. Shit – I hoped he wasn't going to try anything after what happened last time.

Introductions were made and both Clary and Simon seemed to fit in perfectly – apart from the fact that Jace and Simon were sending each other death glares – until Simon caught sight of Izzy, that is. He didn't pay attention to anything other than her for the rest of lunch.

And then it started.

I felt a foot on my leg.

My head jerked up and I saw Ragnor grinning at me. I internally groaned. _Really, _Ragnor? Oh my God, take a hint, for god's sake. I moved my foot away from his and smiled politely at him. This, obviously, didn't deter him, as he moved his foot higher up my leg this time. I slid my chair out a little, but oh no, he still didn't get it. He decided to, this time, forcefully ram his foot into my crotch.

"OW!" I shouted before I could stop myself, doubled over in my chair. Ragnor stood, a worried look on his face.

"Alec? Sorry, I didn't-"

"_Take a hint, _for God's sake! Don't bloody kick me in the balls!" I wheezed angrily. Ragnor's expression changed to that of a kicked puppy's.

By now everyone on our table was staring at us. "Alec, are you alright?" Asked Magnus.

"Since when do you say "bloody"?" Jace said, looking mildly interested. I glared at him. "Since the situation bloody warrants it!" I answered, still frustrated. **(Anyone get my COHF reference?)**

Everyone was still staring at me, Ragnor still frozen in place. Oh, god, what have I gotten myself into?

I sighed. "Ragnor, can we just – talk – for a moment, please?"

"Aahhh, the talk. Good luck man." Simon said sympathetically. I glared at him, but just got out of my seat, gesturing for Ragnor to follow.

**Camille's PoV**

I watched Alec and Ragnor walk away with barely disguised disgust. Eugh, Ragnor. Why did he ever think he was good enough to be in a relationship, let alone with a hot guy like Alexander? I could just see those abs underneath his shirt … I hope he was at least bisexual.

Alec and Ragnor stopped just by the entrance of the lunch hall, Ragnor's expression pathetically hopeful. I saw how his expression changed from Alec's words, until his eyes filled with tears. I knew for a fact Ragnor never cried; he was just trying to guilt Alec into changing his mind. Low blow, Ragnor. Pathetic.

Alec was shifting uncomfortably as Ragnor began to "cry" on his shoulder. How cute. Suddenly Ragnor, who must have realised that the fake crying was not working, ran out of the hall dramatically. Alec bit his lip, staring at the doorway for a moment before walking slowly back to our table.

"Everyone pretend to be angry with him!" Isabelle stage-whispered. Ugh, I'm not taking orders from that bitch. I put on my normal face and stared at Alec as he took in all of our faces.

"I tried to let his down easy!" He frantically tried to explain, thinking we really were angry at him. Hmm, he's gullible too. That could come in handy.

Then everybody burst out laughing. Magnus pulled Alec down into the seat next to him and threw an arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry, we were just kidding." He laughed. Keep your hands off him, you …

"Yeah, you should've seen your face, mate!" Said Jace.

"He wasn't really crying," I chipped in coldly; "he was just trying to guilt you into taking pity on him. It's pathetic really."

"Ah, Camille, you and your _obscene _ways of flirting." Tessa said dramatically. I looked at her, extremely offended. How dare she … "_Excuse _me?"

I noticed Alec's cheeks were red. "So, um, are any of you going to audition for the play? I mean, I don't know what it is yet, but …" He trailed off, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, in fact, I was." I stated, smiling at him, in what I hoped was a warm manner. Better for him to at least _think_ I was a nice person, at least.

"Me too." Said Magnus, "I just hope it's going to be better than last year's."

"Oh, last year's was absolutely _dreadful." _ Tessa said.

"What was last year's?" That Isabelle girl asked, and Simon immediately launched into a whole dramatic explanation. Honestly, the way boys try to impress girls these days. It never works.

* * *

**Magnus's PoV**

I rushed up the corridor after telling the others that I had seen someone I needed to speak to, heading for the Performing Arts office. The head of Drama was a friend of my dad's and he was like an uncle to me. I could usually get whatever I wanted out of him, so I hoped this time was no exception.

I knocked on the door and, luckily, it was Mr. Burton (or just Shaun as I called him) who answered.

"Magnus! Come in."

I quickly stepped inside and sat. We were the only ones in the office.

"Shaun, I need a favour." I said, not beating around the bush. He sighed. "What is it this time, Magnus?"

"The play. I need there to me two male parts who are involved romantically with each other, or at least kiss in there."

He stared at me sceptically before sighing heavily again and plonking himself down in the chair opposite me. "Who is it?"

"Alexander Lightwood." I said immediately. We took a minute just staring at each other. It was like he was reading me, assessing whether my reasons were good enough. Finally, he said, "fine. But if he's not good enough, then I won't give him the part."

"Yes!" I said a little too loudly. "Thank you!"

I Jumped up and ran from the office, a smile planted firmly in place on my lips, leaving Mr. Burton still sitting in the chair, chuckling quietly and shaking his head at my retreating figure fondly.

**YAY! Next chapter is up! Woop woop! Thanks so much for your reviews, too, and dw I'm not going to go straight into the relationship, 'cause … that's not how it works. There's going to be a lot of flirting, and possibly attempted sabotage by a certain Blonde, French character we all know and hate …**

**Next chapter will be up … maybe tomorrow? But I do have swimming tomoz to maybe Friday. Soon, anway!**

**See ya, petit gougères!**


	4. Hideous

**Magnus's PoV**

I literally skipped back to mine and Alec's room after dinner, a massive smile on my face. Even some idiot homophobes (there always were some in every school) could not ruin my mood. Speak of the devil …

"What's with the mood, fag? Get some dick last night?" guffaws followed this statement, as if it was the funniest thing in the world. I had to refrain from face-palming, and just replied with my usual sassy attitude.

"Yes, in fact, I did. Tell your dad thanks for the show!" I topped it off with a little wave and carried on, grinning at the mental image I had of their stunned faces. They really should have seen that one coming.

"Well, hello there, Alexander dear." I said as I pranced into our shared room. Alec was sitting on his bed cross-legged, staring intently at a piece of homework as if willing it to complete itself. I plopped down on his bed behind him and rested my chin on his shoulder, looking at what happened to be our latest maths homework. My smile slipped slightly.

"Shit, when's that due in?"

Alec laughed and rolled his eyes. "Not for another week. But I thought I'd get it done early."

"Ugh, boring." I said, and Alec laughed a little again. "Well. I'm going to take a shower."

I hopped off of Alec's bed and went to get my towel, pausing for a moment. I shrugged, reached behind me and lifted the shirt over my head, exposing my chest. I smirked, seeing Alec watching in my peripheral vision. I made sure to wink at him as I walked to the bathroom, loving the blush that spread across his cheeks. He was so fricking adorable; it was hard to keep my hands off him at times. Scratch that – it was hard to keep my hands off him at ALL times.

**Alec's PoV**

I sighed as Magnus entered the bathroom. This guy was going to be the death of me, I swear.

I begrudgingly turned back to my maths homework. Ugh, why did maths exist? And why couldn't it at least make an effort to be less boring. Jeez.

I was just writing down the last answer when I heard Magnus's voice coming from the bathroom. What, was he out of shampoo or something? I got up and walked closer, pressing my ear to the door. I was about to ask him what it was he wanted **(A/N heh heh … you. *clears throat* sorry, could not resist)** when he spoke again. Or, more likely, sang.

_Call me crazy, maybe I'm insanely_

_Out of my mind, but it'll never faze me_

_If I have to, I'm not afraid to_

_Save my heart for you_

Fuck. I knew Magnus sang from when we were in Riverbend High, but … wow. Either I didn't remember his voice well or he had gotten better. And he has good taste in music, too – that song is amazing. **(A/N seriously it is; it's called ****_Save My Heart _****by Jason Reeves and OMG)**

_The first time that you smiled_

_So shyly back at me_

_I couldn't help myself_

Just then Magnus opened the bathroom door, still singing softly, and stopped abruptly when he saw me standing there. He raised his eyebrows.

"Are you alright?"

I blushed, but, once again, my straightforward self spoke for me. "You were singing."

To my surprise, a faint blush crept up Magnus's neck. He shifted uncomfortably. "Yes…"

I hurried to explain, "I mean, you're really – you're good."

Magnus snorted. "Thant's what she said."

"Magnus!"

"Sorry, sorry!" He raised his hands in surrender, and then smiled. "_Thank _you, Alexander. For your comment on my singing, I mean. From what I remember, you can sing too." He moved to his bed to get some clothes on – no, he wasn't naked – because all he had was a towel around his waist. I had been studiously ignoring this small detail, but now I blushed because of his obvious bareness and his compliment.

"Um … I guess."

Magnus sat on his bed and patted the spot next to him. Once I had sat down, he spoke. "Sing for me."

My eyes widened. "Um, no. No way." I laughed nervously. Magnus nudged my shoulder with his. "Come on, you've heard _me _sing."

I bit my lip. "I…"

"Come on, Alec!"

I sighed. "Fine. Uhhh…" I thought for a moment. What song could I … of course.

_It's just another night  
And I'm staring at the moon  
I saw a shooting star  
And thought of you  
I sang a lullaby  
By the waterside and knew  
If you were here,  
I'd sing to you  
You're on the other side  
As the skyline splits in two  
I'm miles away from seeing you  
I can see the stars  
From America  
I wonder, do you see them, too? _

I finished the first verse and looked at Magnus uncertainly. He stared at me for a moment with an unreadable expression in his eyes, then: "is that song about someone?"

"Um. Yeah. My little brother, Max, he … um, he-"

"It's alright; you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Magnus said, smiling slightly at me. I returned the smile. "But you do have an amazing voice, Alec."

I blushed. "Thanks."

There were a few moments silence, then: "well, um, I'm going to take a shower too, so …"

I jumped up, grabbed my towel and ran into the bathroom.

* * *

The next day, in Drama class, Mr. Burton, after making us pair up with someone of the same gender, made an announcement.

"This year's play will be all about promoting gay rights and such. So, if there are any pussies who can't grow a pair and kiss someone of the same sex, I think you should get out now, because today we'll be looking into the play."

Silence followed his statement. Obviously, I had no problem with it because … obvious reasons, but I could see a fair few who were shifting uncomfortably. I caught Magnus's (who was my partner) eye and he smirked at me. I don't know why, but I found myself blushing. Was I missing something?

"So, first thing is looking into each other's eyes. If you have a problem with this, look at their eyebrows, which looks like you're looking at their eyes."

At this, Magnus wiggled his eyebrows comically, and I almost had to clap my hand over my mouth to keep from giggling.

I tried to concentrate on the task and looked into Magnus's eyes. I remembered how, when I had pointed them out, Magnus had freaked. Hmm… what was the deal with them? Why was he so sensitive about them?

"Now take a step closer to each other. Don't laugh, or look away."

Everybody did. A few of the girls giggled.

"Now another step."

We did. Our noses were almost touching. Shiiiiit. I am going to hyperventilate. Suddenly a whiny voice interrupted the exercise: "sir, if we get any closer, we're going to kiss them!"

Mr. Burton rolled his eyes. "You are in a drama lesson. If I wanted you to kiss your partner, you would kiss your partner. That clear?"

Then the bell rang. Everybody stepped away from their partner gratefully; I almost tripped over my feet in my haste to get away. If I stayed there any longer I would probably explode.

* * *

You know you get those nights that no matter what you do, or how you lay, or how much duvet you have on or off, you can't get to sleep?

I was having one of those nights.

I looked at my digital clock. 12:37. I desperately tried to close my eyes and _force _myself to sleep when I saw the figure of Magnus getting up out of bed, picking some things up off of his bedside table, and creeping into the bathroom, clearly not wanting to be seen. I stayed still, pretending to be asleep. The bathroom door shut, and there was silence. After a few minutes there was a few sniffing noises, then a sob. I sat up immediately. What on earth was Magnus doing?

**Magnus PoV**

As I took the last lens out of my eye I sighed, desperately trying not to look in the mirror – but failed, as I always did. My reflection stared back at me, hideous. A monster. This is what killed my mother. I killed her. It was my fault. If I had just been _normal …_

I sighed again, angrily, and ran a hand through my hair. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, and I let out a quiet sob before clapping a hand to my mouth. Oh shit, please don't say he heard …

There was silence, and I let out a sigh of relief. Maybe he was still asleep, like the past few nights. If only I could keep my contact lenses in all the time, then life would be so much easier, but I had to take them out for the night, at least.

I took one last glance at the mirror, hating myself for it, then gathered up my contact lens solution and headed back into the bedroom. I felt one last tear of self-hatred drop out onto my pillow, then turned over and fell asleep, dreaming of dead bodies and distorted versions of different pairs of eyes.

**YES. Finished chapter four! Yay! Review if you want to know more about Magnus's myyysteryyy and what happened to Max and the play and auditions and ssttufff.**

**Maybe probably indefinitely update tomorrow. Possibly Monday cuz imma going to da beach on Sunday bitchass. Oohh. That was meant to be pronounced "bitchez" but it turned into bitchass. Well then.**

**BYE BITCHASS…es? **


	5. Beautiful

About a week passed, and everything went as normal – except one thing. The night after I saw Magnus get up, I stayed awake to see if it would happen again the next night. And it did. It also happened the night after that, and that, and I got more and more curious as to what he was doing. I also felt sort of hurt that he didn't tell me, seeing as he was so upset about it. I mean, it wasn't as if he had known each other very long, but we had gotten really close since we met. We balanced each other out – I was shy, he was confident, I was quiet, he was loud – in every sense – he wore makeup and … I guess he had good fashion sense? How would I know; I couldn't care less about fashion – frankly, Magnus could wear a house elf's ensemble and would still look downright sexy. Shit, I gotta stop thinking like this …

I jumped as a hand landed on my shoulder.

"Woah, calm down Alec. Why are you so jumpy?" Asked Magnus. We were currently sitting on Magnus's bed, "having some bro-time" as Jace would call it (cringe), listening to Lady Gaga, one of Magnus's all-time favourites. I could never understand why.

"Oh – um, it's nothing. Just – just schoolwork stressing me out, I guess." Just thinking about how sexy you are … Magnus's hand was still on my shoulder. Goddammit.

Magnus sighed dramatically. "Well, you know, I guess you'll just have to learn from me. I'm always on top of-"

"You are? I'll keep that in mind." I said, in a sudden burst of courage. I watched as Magnus's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "Did _Alexander Lightwood _just make an innuendo?" I laughed at Magnus's shocked expression. "I guess it's just you rubbing off on me."

"Hmmm, I'd like to."

My face heated up at the implication, and some unwelcome images flashed through my mind. Well, not entirely unwelcome. Sort of.

I turned away to hide the lust in my eyes and noted that Magnus's hand still hadn't moved from my shoulder. God.

Magnus chuckled. "But seriously, Alec, you're really tense. You want me to give you a massage?"

I almost choked on my own spit. "_What_?" I said, a little too loudly. Magnus looked at me like I was batshit-crazy, and said, "a massage. It's not like I just asked you to sacrifice your dick to the gods, jeez, Alec. This just proves you're way too tense. Lay down on your stomach."

"I…" Shit. How the fuck was I going to survive this? Magnus looked at me pointedly, and I bit my lip nervously – and Magnus's eyes darkened. I suddenly remembered – when we had just met – the effect me biting my lip had on him and stopped. This really wasn't going well.

"Alec. Do you really want me to make you lie down?"

My eyes widened. I quickly led down on my stomach, because I had absolutely no doubt that Magnus would follow through on his promise, and I would most likely explode if he did. Then I realised I would explode anyway, because I felt the bed dip on both sides of me, and a weight on my butt.

"Magnus!" I almost shrieked. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"What, you didn't expect me to massage you from the side, did you? How on earth was I supposed to get the right angle?"

Oh my God. Magnus was sitting on my butt. How did I get myself into this situation? Then he started massaging my shoulders and all these thoughts went out the window.

"Oh my god…" I literally moaned. Did Magnus take massaging … classes or something? His fingers kneaded (God, that sounds dirty) into my shoulders and neck and I bit my lip to keep from moaning again.

"Can I just say that that sound coming from you is extremely sexy." Magnus said from above me. I opened my mouth to answer but all that came out was another moan as Magnus's Godlike fingers send tingles down my spine.

"Shit, Magnus, how are you so good at this?" I almost whimpered.

"I'm just a natural, I guess." Magnus answered smugly. He moved his hands a little further down my back and continued to massage there.

"Oh God, Magnus …" I groaned. I felt Magnus chuckling. "You'd better hope there's no one outside the door, because it rather sounds like I'm giving you a different type of pleasure."

I was confused … what …? Oh! "Shit!" I gasped, half in response to Magnus's statement and half because of what Magnus's hands were doing to my back. "Do you think … mmm … anyone can … nnng … hear us?"

"Hear _you_, more like." Magnus answered, amusement clear in his tone.

"Magnus!" I whined. He sighed. "You want me to go check?" I felt him starting to get off of me and, before I could think , said, "no!" Magnus paused, and I could almost _hear _his smile. But then, in silence, I heard whispers from outside the door:

"What are they-"

"Do you think they are-"

"I don't know, should we-"

"I'm not doing it, you-"

"No, you-"

"I'll do it!"

Then the last voice, which I identified to be Izzy's, spoke louder: "Hey, are you guys … um, decent?"

"What do you class as decent?" Magnus asked, the laughter clear in his voice.

"Magnus!" I said, mortified. Who knows how many people thought we were … doing … sexual things. With each other. Oh God … "Yes, we are decent!" I called to the people outside the door. The door in question opened slowly, and Izzy, Jace, Clary and Simon all cautiously walked inside. Their expressions quickly turned to confusion as they took in our positions.

"Um … what are you doing?"

"I'm giving Alec a massage. Obviously." Magnus answered matter-of-factly.

"But – but," Jace spluttered, "_why_?"

Magnus shrugged. "He was too tense."

Izzy snorted and rolled her eyes. "He's _always_ too tense. That's just Alec for you."

"I am _not_." I said, scowling.

"Yeah, Magnus probably just wanted an excuse to get on top of you and touch you up." Jace said, smirking.

"Be that as it may …" Magnus trailed off.

"Magnus!" I complained. I was glad that I was an actor at that moment, because I sure as hell wasn't complaining on the inside. I glanced around for a distraction and saw that it was 6:53pm: seven minutes until dinnertime. "Well! Looks like it's time for dinner." I said, hoping Magnus would take the hint. Luckily, he did, though not without a fair few dramatic sighs and eye rolls, and we walked down to the dinner hall with Izzy, Jace, Clary and Simon, where the auditions for that year's school play were announced to be next Friday; one week away. In our group of friends, Tessa, Camille, Ragnor, (who had come round after the dramatic-not-really-break-up-incident) Magnus and I were auditioning. They still hadn't told us exactly what the play was about; just that it was written by the head of Performing Arts, Mr. Burton, and it was promoting gay rights. This could be interesting …

* * *

I bounced nervously on the balls of my feet, my audition speech (which had been given to anyone planning to audition in our next drama lesson) in my hand. The stage loomed in front of me, huge – bigger than any other stage I'd performed on. Other drama students were milling around, talking nervously. I was kind of hoping Magnus would turn up soon – the auditions started at 7:45pm and it was 7:38pm on my watch. Suddenly I spotted Tessa in the crowd. Finally, someone I knew! I walked quickly over to her; when she spotted me she waved.

"Which speech did you pick? I'm not entirely sure I chose the correct one for me, but both of them are awfully long anyway so …" I let Tessa's posh voice wash over me and tried to calm my nerves. It wasn't like I was going to pass out from stage fright, but I was only human. Suddenly I felt arms wrap around my waist from behind and I had to refrain from squeaking.

"Hey, Alec!" Magnus cheerful voice interrupted my reverie.

"Hey." I answered shakily. His chest was pressed to my back and his arms firmly around my waist. Really, I'm rethinking that passing out thing, just not from stage fright. I saw Tessa smirking, like she knew something I didn't.

Magnus looked over my shoulder at my speech. "Oh, you did that one – I did the other one."

His breath was hot on my neck and it tickled my ear, making me shiver. "Cold, Alec?" Magnus asked.

"Shut up." I answered, embarrassed. He chuckled quietly into my ear. I swear I was having a heart attack.

"Alright kids, listen up. The auditions will be in alphabetical order by last name; if you miss your name you won't get a second chance, so shut up and listen. Okay …"

At the time, I thought my audition went pretty well. Obviously, looking back on it, I thought of all the little things I could have done to improve, but, seeing as I was … distracted not a few minutes before, I thought I did well. Magnus seemed especially happy after staying back to talk to Mr. Burton about something. It must've been good, whatever it was, because he practically skipped back to our dorm room, dragging me by the hand.

"Magnus!" I half-whined, half-laughed. Magnus's good moods were contagious, as were his bad ones. You do not want to be on Magnus Bane's bad side when it's his time of the month. Trust me.

"Don't kill my mood, Alec." Said Magnus, making it perfectly clear that nothing could by the wide grin on his face. At least, until that night.

* * *

I saw Magnus creep to the bathroom for the umpteenth time. When the door had closed behind him, I waited for a few minutes, my hand on the light switch by my bed. There were footstep, then the door unlocked and Magnus stepped out of the bathroom. I quickly turned the light on and sat up in bed.

"Magnus, wh-" I gasped, ending my sentence. Magnus stared at me in shock, then his expression turned to absolute horror. He ducked his head, hiding his eyes from me, and ran back into the bathroom. The door slammed behind him. I sat, frozen, for a few seconds, before I heard a barely muffled sob and jolted to my senses. I scrambled out of bed, walked over to the bathroom, and slowly opened the door. The light spilled in on Magnus's huddled form, curled up against the bathtub on the other side on the room, his arms wrapped around his knees, head resting on top. His body shook with barely supressed sobs.

"Magnus …?" I said softly. Magnus just buried his head further into his arms and shrunk back, trying to make himself smaller.

"Magnus, look, there's no need to … get upset." I cautiously took another step forwards, then another, when he still didn't react. "I fact, I … I like it."

Magnus stilled, in shock, it seemed. I rambled on, taking this as a good sign. "The contact lenses … they were … they didn't look right on you. They just weren't … _you_. Your real eyes," Magnus flinched, "suit you much better."

Magnus raised his head a little off of his knees, but still not enough so that I could see his eyes. I knelt down in front of his slowly, as if he was a frightened animal that could run away at any second.

"Magnus, please look at me."

Magnus sucked in a frightened breath and turned his head sharply away. It pained me a little bit to see him this vulnerable.

"I – you don't have to pretend, Alec," Magnus's voice was hoarse from the crying. "It would be easier if you just called me a – a freak-"

"Magnus, I'm not a liar." I cut in, "so I'm not going to call you a freak." I gently lifted his chin, but Magnus's eyes closed before I could see them. "I'm not going to call you a freak," I repeated, cupping the side of his face with my free hand, "I'm going to call you what you are," my thumb brushed over his cheek, wiping away his tears. "I'm going to call you beautiful." At this, another single tear spilt out of Magnus's still-closed eyelid. "Please open your eyes." I whispered. Finally, Magnus's eyes cautiously fluttered open, and it was perfect. I don't think I could ever look at Magnus with his contact lenses in again and see his properly, because _this _was the real Magnus.

"Beautiful."

**Oh my goodness gracianious, it's an update! *gasp*! Sorry I didn't update sooner, but, as I said, I went to the beach Sunday and then I was REALLY sick Monday, like, so sick I couldn't even look at two words without wanting to vomit (which I still did. Okay, too much info) and then mum turned off the wifi (gasp) because I was spending too much time on it (heh heh…) so I couldn't update … but oh well. The update's here now!**

**Btw, just in case you lost track, they have known each other for 2 weeks & 3 days now. I think.**

**PLEASE review because it really motivates my writing and I'll probably update sooner if you do. (hint hint)**

**Until next time, my fabulous little glitterlings!**


	6. It's okay

**I am SO SORRY I haven't updated in like 4 weeks – I was in france for the last two and I thought I could update there because there's WiFi but it turns out the WiFi's too crappy for me to update and I couldn't and you all hate me because not only haven't I updated for ages but I am now making shit excuses that you really don't want to hear because you want me to get on with the story now ….**

**So here's a new chapter.**

**I OWN NOTHING.**

**(this carries on straight from the ending of the last chapter)**

Magnus PoV

I stared at Alec, my eyes still glassy with tears and shock. I could only imagine what I looked like to him: pathetic, my eyes red-rimmed and blotchy – my eyes … how could he react like this? The only reaction I'd ever known was disgust or something along those lines. This was very new to me. Instinctively, I raised my own hand and covered the one of Alec's which was cupping the side of my face, entwining our fingers together. Despite everything, a slight red tinge coloured Alec's cheeks, and he smiled shyly. I couldn't help smiling back.

"Thank you." I mumbled. Alec let out a breathy laugh. "What for? What I did was something any normal person should do."

My smile faltered. Oh.

He was only doing this because he thought he _should._ Not because he wanted to. Not because that was what he really thought.

I dropped my hand and turned away, making his drop too. "Right." I stood up, ignoring my legs' protests. "I'm going to bed." I walked out of the bathroom, not bothering to pick up my contact lens solution along the way.

"Wait, Magnus, what did I-"

"Don't, Alec." I snarled, surprising us both with the amount of venom in my voice. I heard Alec get up behind me, and felt a hand grab my wrist. I tried to wrench my hand out of Alec's grip, but he held on tightly.

"Magnus, stop. At least just tell me what I did."

"No." I growled, still not looking at him.

"Magnus, please." I stilled, surprised by the tone of Alec's voice. I finally turned to see tears glistening in his eyes. I felt my resolve soften, but then harden again when I remembered what had made me so angry in the first place.

I sighed angrily. "Look, Alec, I don't want you to tell me things just because you think you should. If you tell me something, a compliment, a comfort, whatever – I don't want it to be because you think it's what 'any normal person should do'," I made quotation marks with my fingers as I quoted what he'd said. Alec seemed frozen. "If you don't mean it then don't say it." I pull my wrist away from his fingers, walked straight over to my bed and laid down, turning over so my back was to him. This seemed to snap him out of his trance; he started speaking, "Magnus, come on. You know that's not what I meant." I didn't answer. I heard Alec sigh in frustration, then footsteps coming around to the side of the bed I was facing. I resolutely stared ahead as Alec sat down near my head, one leg tucked underneath him. He reached out tentatively. I almost snorted at him similar this was to event that had taken place only a few minutes ago.

"Magnus…" Alec's voice was soft, barely above a whisper, and I could almost feel it wash over me, willing me to relax. My eyes closed of their own accord, and I barely supressed a shiver.

"I do think you're beautiful. I – my words just came out wrong. You of all people know that I have to have a script in front of me to say anything right." He snorted. "I just wish my brain could have picked a different time to fuck up."

"Oooh, Alexander Lightwood, innocent goody-two-shoes, said the f-word. What has the world come to?" I mocked playfully, cracking my eyes open again, slipping into our usual banter (well, mostly on my part) without thinking. Alec snorted again, this time actually laughing, and said "shut up," lightly whacking my arm. Then he sighed and went back to seriousness again.

"Magnus, I didn't mean that. I just meant that if anyone else treated you with anything other than kindness and respect then it's wrong. That doesn't change what I said."

Slowly, I turned onto my back and stared at Alec's bright blue eyes through the darkness, willing myself not to cringe away and hide my eyes as was my instinctual reaction. I had the sudden urge to comb my fingers through Alec's hair, still unruly from lying in bed, but held myself back. But then: why should I hold myself back? I've already shown my most vulnerable side tonight – what is there to loose. So, in total darkness I reached out to touch **(reference to TRXYE's ****_touch …_**** just sayin') **the slightly curling, delicate strands of hair flopping over Alec's forehead, then, as Alec's breath hitched and his eyes slipped closed, becoming confident enough to fully comb my fingers through the soft black strands.

Alec exhaled, and I felt his breath wash over me. I felt my elbow move so I was propped up on it, effectively moving our faces closer together. My hand stopped on the back of Alec's head. I wondered if that was the reason he moved closer to me, so that our noses were touching. I saw his eyes flick down to my lips only for a split second, but it was enough for me to know that he was thinking the same thing as I was.

Then he screamed.

Half a second before I saw Alec's eyes widen and flick away from mine to the wall behind my head, then he screamed and jerked back, effectively falling off the bed.

Shocked, I turned around to see what could have possibly made Alec react so dramatically, and saw, of all things, a spider the size of my thumbnail on the wall, quietly minding its own business. I felt laughter bubble up inside my chest and I looked back at Alec, and incredulous smile forming on my face.

"You're afraid of _spiders_?"

Alec's terrified eyes flicked to my face for half a second, them back to the spider where it hadn't moved so much as an inch of the wall behind my head. "Don't say it like that. It's not my fault Jace decided to hide five in my sandwich when I was eight." He shuddered. Okay, maybe that's an exception to be afraid of spiders. Ew.

I sighed, then, deciding to be a little mean, said, "aww, does ickle baby Alec want me to get rid of it? Does he? Aww-"

"Shut up and get it away from me." Alec said through gritted teeth, his eyes still fixated on the spider.

"Oh, but, Alec, darling, it _is _away from you," I said, picking the spider up gently, then, with a small mischievous smile playing around the corners of my mouth, jerked my clasped hands towards Alec, saying "whoops!" Alec shrieked and jumped up from his position on the floor to flatten himself on the wall opposite to the bed, frantically brushing himself off.

I couldn't help but laugh loudly. I mean, can you blame me?

Once the spider (Frentus, I'd decided to name him) had taken off out the window, I walked back over to Alec. He was still stiff as a board against the wall, and I sighed as I stopped in front of him, placing my hands on my hips, resting my weight on one leg and regarding him sceptically. "You're really _that _afraid of spiders?"

His only answer was a strained: "go wash your hands. Please."

I only debated for a second whether he was being serious or not, before laughing under my breath and shaking my head slightly. "If it makes you happy." I sighed dramatically, and went back into the bathroom to wash my hands, spotting my contact lens pot and solution still on the sink. I bit my lip. Did Alec really mean what he said? It was so hard to believe. I thought whilst I washed my hands, drying them absentmindedly and wandering back into the bedroom to see Alec sheepishly seated on my bed, a light blush smattered over his cheeks.

"Um … sorry about that. It's – I'm not – I mean, spiders are …." He trailed off, staring at the ground when he realised I obviously wasn't buying it. He bit his lip and looked up at me through his eyelashes, blinking a few times, and I think I very nearly melted right there from the sheer cuteness of him, right from his ruffled bedhead and blushing cheeks to his bare feet that were shyly pointing towards each other at the toes.

I smiled. "It's alright. Everyone's afraid of something."

Alec looked at me curiously. "What are _you _afraid of?" I paled, which is hard considering my golden complexion, but managed to choke out one word: "water."

Alec didn't seem to have noticed my discomfort, because he asked, "why?"

I swallowed nervously. "I ..." just spit it out, Magnus. I sighed. "My dad tried to drown me when I was younger, because he thought it was my fault that my mum hu-" I stopped cleared my throat and tried again, "hung herself."

Alec sat there with his eyes wide and mouth open in the shape of an "o". I cocked my head, raising my eyes sceptically. Well, he seems pretty frozen, I thought and sighed (again) wearily before heading over my bed, lifting the covers and turning so I was still facing him.

Alec was still looking at me, except now the initial shock was mixed with sadness. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." He said quietly, then snorted mirthlessly. "And I thought I had family issues."

"What happened to you?" I asked, wondering if I was stepping over some sort of line. Alec bit his lip, then swallowed. Then he did something I didn't expect, but certainly didn't object to; he led down next to me under the covers, cuddling into my side. I automatically slid my arms around him, and it felt completely natural.

"When I came out to my parents," Alec started, and I looked at him, surprised. I hadn't actually expected him to tell me – but he carried on. "they didn't take it well. Well, I think my mum would've been okay after a while, but my dad … he didn't like it to say the least."

I saw the sadness and regret behind Alec's eyes and was about to interrupt, to tell him that he didn't need to tell me, but he looked at me, right in the eyes, and smiled, albeit a little sadly, but it was enough for me to know that it was okay, and that he wanted to share it with me.

"He had always been a little more angry than my mum, or any of my friends' parents, but I didn't think too much of it … until then. He went mad, and … do you remember that song I sang? I told you it was about my little brother Max?" I nodded. "Well, like I said, my dad got _really _angry, and Max-" his voice broke and I hugged him closer, rubbing his back comfortingly. "Max was just in the way."

I heard a sniff and looked down to see one single tear running down Alec's pale cheek. I wiped it away with my thumb. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," I said softly, repeating his words from earlier, and I really was. Alec smiled through his tears. "It's fine. It's over now."

We stayed there like that, staring into each other's eyes for the longest time – or, at least, until one of us fell asleep.

**WWOOOOOOO finally another chapter. If you've stuck around long enough to read this, THANKS! I probably don't deserve it after neglecting you munchkins but still. Thanks anyway.**

**Review if you liked it 3**


	7. Malec?

The next morning we were woken by a loud squeal sounding curiously like my sister's voice.

"Oh my God! OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod! Malec is canon!"

I groaned and tried to move my right arm – but found I couldn't, as it was trapped underneath something warm and fairly heavy. I opened my eyes to see someone else's face extremely close to mine, eyes closed and still breathing deeply, clearly asleep.

Magnus.

I smiled at the sight of Magnus looking so peaceful and untroubled, and Izzy squealed again, sounding closer to my ear this time. "Izzzyyyy…" I moaned, covering my ear with my free hand. Magnus stirred finally and his eyes fluttered open – his eyes. Shit.

I sat up quickly, covering Magnus's face from Izzy's excited eyes. As much as I loved Magnus's eyes, I didn't think he'd appreciate them being shown to anyone else this soon. This sudden movement made Magnus groan. "Alec, what are you doing?"

"Izzy," I said, emphasizing the fact that it was not just us in the room for Magnus's benefit; Magnus stiffened, "can you leave, please? It's not very polite to come barging into people's rooms in the morning."

Izzy completely ignored me, and instead squeezed us both into a bone-crushing hug. "Congratulations, guys!" She said, stringing out the vowels. Congratulations for what?

Then suddenly she was gone. "Get ready for breakfast, you've got about half an hour," she told us, a hint of her previous excitement still in her voice, then left, the door banging shut behind her.

I let out a sigh of relief. "What was that all about?" I asked, to no one in particular, after a moment. Magnus chuckled quietly, and I looked down at him, confused. "What?"

"Oh Alec, you're so oblivious." He said, smiling fondly at me. Was I missing something?

LINE BREAK – BREAKFAST

I yawned loudly after swallowing my last mouthful of breakfast, and leaned my head onto Magnus's shoulder, closing my eyes. "I'm so tired." I mumbled.

I felt Magnus's arm around my shoulders and the vibrations as he laughed quietly. "You're too adorable," he told me. Magnus seemed to be wide awake despite the fact that we had stayed up late last night.

"So," Izzy started from across the table, and I opened my eyes to see that she was grinning widely, with a mischievous glint in her eye. Uh oh. "When did it … happen?" She asked eagerly.

I frowned. "What? When did what happen?" I asked, confused. Then I realised everyone was staring at me expectantly. "What? Why is everyone staring at me?" What is going on this morning?

Then Magnus leaned into my ear, and whispered: "they think we're together."

_Oh._

Okay, I get it now, I thought as my cheeks heated up. We did sort of sleep in the same bed, and we are acting kind of cuddly. But that doesn't mean anything. … .

"Oh – no, we're not – it's not like – I mean, I know it looks like we're, um, but we're not-"

"What Alec means to say is that we're just friends." Magnus translated. Izzy's face fell. "What? But – but-" Izzy seemed lost for words, something that never happened. "You're made for each other."

I bit my lip and glanced up at Magnus, who was looking at me. I felt my cheeks heat up again at the intensity of his gaze. He looked away, and I was sure he was going to say something, but he just shrugged one shoulder and finished his breakfast.

LINE BREAK – SCIENCE

"So what's the deal with Malec, then?" Clary asked, her green eyes shining with curiosity.

We were in science, and the teacher had set us a written task, so, naturally, everyone was talking and not doing any work.

"Malec? Like, the place?" I asked, confused. I seemed to be confused a lot today. Clary rolled her eyes in exasperation. "No, you doofus. _Malec. _As in, you and Magnus."

I thought about it. "That's stupid," I concluded, "the name, that is. And don't call me a doofus."

"Whatever. You still haven't answered my question."

I looked down at my half of the desk, picking up my pen and pretending to think over an answer. I chewed on the end of the pencil and looked up at Magnus's desk.

He was looking at me.

I quickly looked back down again, my cheeks flushing. "Nothing's going on between us." I mumbled. Clary snorted. "Yeah, right. Like I didn't see that little exchange. Also, Izzy said you guys had sex last night."

I choked on my own spit. "_What_?!" I whisper-shouted. I was sure my face looked almost comical: wide eyes, red cheeks, mouth the shape of an "O".

"What's this about Alec finally having some sort of sexual contact with another human being?" Jace's voice came from the desk behind us. I buried my head in my hands and groaned.

"Jace," I said, my voice muffled, "go away."

"What, so Clary gets to know but I don't? Alec, I'm your brother – mate-"

"Oh, shut up." Clary said irritably, and pushed his face away with her hand. I stared at her, wide-eyed, then started laughing. Clary raised her eyebrows at me, and I stopped, remembering what we were talking about. I looked down nervously. "Clary, we are just friends. Nothing more."

There was silence, and then: "but you want there to be more, don't you?" she said quietly.

_What?_

"Clary, I don't-"

The bell rang. I quickly gathered up my things and escaped, still pondering what Clary had said.

LINE BREAK

I stood in front of my locker, just closing it after putting a few books in, when I felt soft, long fingers cover my eyes.

"Guess who?" said a soft, velvety voice right next to my ear. I shivered, and a grin crept involuntarily onto my face. I let out a short laugh which definitely _didn't _sound _anything_ like a giggle, and grabbed Magnus's hands where they still covered my eyes. I turned around to see Magnus standing extremely close to me, and was suddenly aware that I was still holding both of Magnus's hands in between us.

Magnus opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted.

"Faggots," a boy with white hair and pale eyes and skin muttered bumping Magnus's shoulder with his, hard, as he walked past. Magnus stumbled into me and I only just steadied him before he fell. I scowled at the boy but didn't say anything.

Then the boy turned. "What, you're not gonna say anything? Too much of a pussy to actually have an argument?"

Maybe … I thought, maybe this time I should fight back. Maybe …

I walked toward the boy slowly. By now about ten people had stopped to watch.

"Well done," I said calmly, earning a confused look from the boy.

"What?"

"Well done," I repeated, "you're so observant; we are gay. Would you like a round of applause? Or maybe even a medal?"

The boy stood still for a moment, having not expected me to answer back, but then laughed, and stepped closer.

"Is that really the best you can come up with? I bet you can't even fight. I bet-"

The boy had raised a hand whilst he was talking, and I quickly, almost casually grabbed his wrist, jerked him forwards, and kicked the back of his knee, making his knees buckle underneath him. He fell to the floor in a crumpled heap.

"What were you saying again? I didn't catch that." I mocked, leaning forwards, pretending to listen intently. Everyone was silent – except Magnus, who I heard snort quietly behind me.

"That's tight, man." Said the boy, his face crumpled with pain. **(A/N something the boys in my year at school say A LOT)**

I just shrugged and turned away, leaving the boy on the floor and the crowd of people that had slowly formed behind me. After a few steps, I turned, remembering Magnus.

"Coming?"

He stared at me for a second, incredulously – then let out a short laugh, shaking his head, and walked quickly to catch up with me. When he did, he elbowed me playfully in the side and leaned into my ear, whispering: "didn't know you were such a badass."

"Shut up." I muttered, blushing and turning my head away – but I was smiling more than I had in a while.

**Sorry this took so long, but 1. I'm a horrible procrastinator, and 2. I have so much fucking homework. :( **

**The play rehearsals and stuff will probably start next chapter so yaaas**

**Review plsss … *puppy dog eyes***


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